Architecture That Supported Modernization of Japan

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Architecture That Supported Modernization of Japan 100th Anniversary of Enactment of City Planning Act and Building Standard Law 008 010 013 019 Architecture027 029 030 031 032 That Supported Modernization of Japan052 055 056 059 060 100067 selected069 071 078 083 088 building technologies An English Summary 096 Edited by: Committee for: “Architecture Published by: The Building Center of Japan That Supported Modernization of Japan” The Japan Architectural Education and Information Center Preface Preface FUKAO Seiichi Chairperson 2019 marks the 100th year since the enactment of the Urban Building “Structural Methods”, Building Production/Facilities” and “Policy/Re- Law, the predecessor of the Building Standard Law, and of the City gional Planning”. We then asked 91 experts who specialize in these Planning Act. areas to write about the “100 Key Terms” from the viewpoint of a his- The Urban Building Law is considered to be the first established tory of the technological progress of construction, newly developed building legislation in Japan, which proceeded the current Building building spaces that resulted from technological progress, and their Standard Law after several amendments. influences on our lives and on society in general. During this period, we have experienced drastic changes oc- “Architecture that Supported the Modernization of Japan – 100 curred in the political and economic sectors and in society as a whole. selected building technologies” is a book that was compiled as a pub- Accordingly, cities and architectures also changed, which were sup- lication to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the enactment of ported by the innovation of building technologies. All of these changes the City Planning Act and the Building Standard Law. eventually brought about a remarkable reform in our lifestyles. This English translation of the original Japanese summary of the To shed light on the advancement of building technologies that booklet was made so that people in other countries might appreciate have supported modern and current Japan and provided a basis for the accomplishments mentioned within it. these changes, we asked not only architects, but many experts of var- We will be pleased if the “100 Key Terms” gives you a good over- ious disciplines, such as sociology, economics, history, urban planning all picture of the Japanese architecture and building technologies that and journalism, as well, to identify “100 Key Terms” related to Japa- have been developed over the last 100 years, along with their unique- nese architecture and building technologies. The selected “100 Key ness. We hope that the wisdom and ingenuity of the people who cre- Terms” were classified into five categories: “Housing, “Buildings, ated these things becomes evident to all of the readers. Members of the committee for “Architecture that Supported Modernization of Japan Members of Working Group – 100 selected building technologies” Chief (Operating WG) Chairperson OMI Yasuo (cited above) Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architec- FUKAO Seiichi Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Metropolitan University ture, Tokyo City University Members Chief (Editing WG) ASAMI Yasushi Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of ISO Tatsuo (cited above) Architectural journalist (Executive Officer, Flick Studio Co., Ltd) Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo ISO Tatsuo Architectural journalist (Executive Officer, Flick Studio Co., Ltd) Members INOUE Shouichi Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies OTAKE Ryo Managing Director, The Building & Housing Center of Japan. Inc EBARA Sumiko Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University OMI Yasuo (cited above) Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architec- OMI Yasuo Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architec- ture, Tokyo City University ture, Tokyo City University KUMAGAI Ryohei (cited above) Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of KUMAGAI Ryohei Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture, Tokyo University of Science Architecture, Tokyo University of Science GONDO Tomoyuki (cited above) Project Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineer- GONDO Tomoyuki Project Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineer- ing, Department of Architecture, The University of Tokyo ing, Department of Architecture, The University of Tokyo HAYAMI Kiyotaka (cited above) Professor, College of Engineering, Department of Architec- SASAKI Hiroshi President, Center for Housing Renovation and Dispute Set- ture, Nihon University tlement Support YAMAMICHI Yuta Flick Studio Co., Ltd HAYAMI Kiyotaka Professor, College of Engineering, Department of Architec- ture, Nihon University Observers MATSUBA Kazukiyo Professor, Musashino Art University Building Guidance Division, Housing Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and MATSUMURA Shuichi Project Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Depart- Tourism ment of Architecture, The University of Tokyo Urban Building Division, Housing Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism MIISHO Kiyonori Chairman, Japan Federation of Architect & Building Engi- neers Associations (Professor Emeritus, Shibaura Institute of Technology) Members of a round-table talk for “Architecture that Supported Modernization of Japan YAMANA Yoshiyuki Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department – 100 selected building technologies” of Architecture, Tokyo University of Science YOSHIKAWA Hiroshi Professor, Faculty of Economics, Rissho University UTIDA Yositika Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo YOSHIMI Shunya Professor, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information OKADA Tsuneo Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo. Advisor, The Studies, The University of Tokyo Japan Building Disaster Prevention Association TATEISHI Makoto Former Director of Housing Bureau, Ministry of Construc- tion. Former President, The Building Center of Japan MURAKAMI Shuzo Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo. President, Insti- tute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation (IBEC) FUKAO Seiichi (cited above) Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Metropolitan University (as of end/March 2019) C2 100 SELECTED BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES Overview Overview: Modern and Contemporary Japan Supported by Architecture For this booklet, 100 key technical terms were selected in order to holistically review the prog- ress of Japanese architecture and building technologies over the last 100 years. Each selected technology was developed and introduced to materialize buildings required of the respective time. There have been many cases, on the other hand, when structures built with new technol- ogies had a significant impact on society, which eventually brought about important social changes. We have roughly classified the 100 technologies into four periods over the last 100 years, in order to reflect the historical changes of technologies. This was done with a view to clarifying what society expected from architecture and buildings in each of those periods, and what these building technologies provided for society. Please note that this classification of technologies is not limited to the four periods, as some of the technologies have been in use for a long time. Part 1 Establishment of Modern Japan and Building 1868–1935 Technologies Beginning in the modern Japan, Japan proceeded to establish a modern nation, under the slo- gan of “Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Army”, following the development of the U.S. and European nations as models. This also meant to establish cities which were not in the least in- ferior to those in the Western nations. Modernization of urban areas, as seen in the fields other than urban development, began with advanced technologies that were adopted by Japan through the efforts of a number of foreign professionals employed by the Japanese government, and of Japanese students sent to Western countries to study. After the 1900s, Japan gradually modified these imported technol- ogies to make them more suitable for Japanese culture, and situations unique to Japan, and eventually developed its own technologies and applied them to practical applications. In this period, many government buildings and cultural facilities were built using these modern building technologies as symbols of the modernization of urban cities. In accordance with industrial development, business activity increased dramatically, and many financial and commercial systems were developed, which required construction of mod- ern buildings in urban areas as centers of business activities. To respond to the need for such buildings, innovative technologies became indispensable, such as reinforced concrete struc- tures, steel structures, elevators, and technologies related to electric equipment, lighting appli- ances and so on. Also, an increasing number of people started working for newly established companies in urban areas, who, together with military officers and government officials, formed a new social stratum. For these people, a new style of housing was provided in areas such as residential suburbs, which were equipped with newly developed facilities, such as modern kitchens and flush toilets. The economic growth of the period enriched people’s lives, which led to increased con- sumption and more opportunities for recreational activities. Commercial and entertainment centers were developed to satisfy people’s needs and new types of buildings, such as a station building with a shopping center, were constructed. Prevention of infectious
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